[Andrea Barnett Budin]

Findings recently published in PLoS One suggest that mindful-based therapies, such as meditation may change gene activity. In the small study, researchers recruited individuals who had no prior meditation experience and examined participants’ genetic profile prior to their adoption of a basic daily practice.

The New Scientist reports: After eight weeks of performing the technique daily, the volunteers gene profile was analyzed again. Clusters of important beneficial genes had become more active and harmful ones less so.

The boosted genes had three main beneficial effects: improving the efficiency of mitochondria, the powerhouse of cells; boosting insulin production, which improves control of blood sugar; and preventing the depletion of telomeres, caps on chromosomes that help to keep DNA stable and so prevent cells wearing out and aging.

Clusters of genes that became less active were those which trigger chronic inflammation leading to diseases including high blood pressure, heart disease, inflammatory bowel disease and some cancers.

Even more interesting was that researchers found evidence to suggest that such changes can occur quickly and that regularly meditating can have lasting health effects: By taking blood immediately after before and after performing the technique on a single day, researchers also showed that the gene changes happened within minutes.

For comparison, the researchers also took samples from 26 volunteers who had practiced relaxation techniques for at least three years. They had beneficial gene profiles even before performing their routines in the lab, suggesting that the techniques had resulted in long-term changes to their genes.

Lia Steakley on May 2nd, 2013 Published by Scope, Stanford University medicine.